Dining Out: Uptown Cafe is delightfully small town

ELMWOOD — From its location alone on the square in Elmwood, it’s clear that Uptown Cafe is a small-town joint, sitting next to the post office and looking out onto the sedate and pretty park.

But the clinching bit of evidence came when we were getting up to leave from a recent lunch at the restaurant that boasts food from breakfast skillets to sandwiches, fried chicken and pasta, plus daily specials alongside classic root beer floats and puddings for dessert. Just as we were paying, one of the customers coming in was greeted by name and asked if she was in the mood for “the usual,” making the heart swell with non-chain-restaurant affection.

It looks, of course, like a small-town restaurant should. The back room’s booths feature jerseys on the wall from players at the local high school. A variety of older photographs line the walls of the front dining room, which also boasts a homey feel from the cash register to the refrigerator behind it to various fresh-made breads and other items on sale from local monks. Dessert pies are homemade by the owner’s wife.

Our service began briskly, with a drink order (iced tea, $1.75) and an offer to peruse the menu. When we probed a little, the waitress was happy to offer up some of her own tips and suggestions, providing recommendations from the lunch menu and the all-day breakfast menu alike.

Looking to start off with the homemade treats, we split an order of onion rings ($4.95) — hand-breaded haystack onion strands, actually — that arrived hot, salty and piled high on a huge plate with some cups of ranch dressing on the side. We made the smallest of dents in it, knowing that more food was still to come, though the leftovers reheated well.

I also sampled a cup ($1.75) of the soup of the day, chicken noodle. The noodles were thick, the chicken flavorful, but the broth was out of this world. Rich with tiny bits of chicken and a powerful punch of pepper and herbs. I could’ve had a bowl of it and been happy the rest of the day.

The burgers were on that list of items for which Uptown Cafe is well-regarded, and my guest tried a cheeseburger ($6.50 for a single patty, $1 more for a double). The one-third pound sandwich came with gooey, melted cheese and a nice weighty bun, along with nice slices of tomato, lettuce and onion. The patty itself was moist and the flavors mixed well together.

Since we’d already split the plate of onion rings, she instead opted for a post-Easter side on the menu, sweet potato casserole. It was obviously made of fresh sweet potatoes, and the slivers of nuts sprinkled over it gave it some nice texture, though a bit of marshmallow goodness might also have been welcome.

My Irish breakfast ($8.95) was a cholesterol attack on a plate and tasted delightful for it. Stacked together was buttered rye toast, two eggs over easy, two thick sausage links, two pieces of bacon, hash brown potatoes mixed with cheese, and corned beef hash, all piping hot. About the only thing that underwhelmed was the sausage, which lacked a little bit of seasoning. Of course there were some other strong flavors competing on the plate.

For those who aren’t in town, it can be a bit of a hike to get there. But it’s one well worth it for the home cooking and the atmosphere.

Chris Kaergard can be reached at ckaergard@pjstar.com or 686-3135. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisKaergard